Would this be possible/viable with this framework? I might give it a shot, if so.
To take a simple example, I've noticed that many third-party launchers request the "Services that can cost you money" permission, so that they can create dialing shortcuts, I believe. I'd prefer not to give them that permission because I don't want dialing shortcuts, but I'm sure other people do.
The other alternative mentioned is lbe. The issue with lbe is that its a Chinese app thats translated to english and only distributed through xda found here. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1422479 . Now everything I've read and what others have looked into is that nothing malicious is occurring but of course YMMV. I've used it and I have very rarely found any issues blocking all permissions.
Also another good app is droidwall to enable data for apps based on wifi or mobile.
I have it currently on my nexus one with CyanogemMod7. standard feature.
Use it to prevent my closed source keyboard from talking to the web.
https://github.com/rovo89/XposedBridge/wiki/Development-tuto...
Xposed has allowed me to iterate much more rapidly on framework tweaks, and also keep them much cleaner (since now I just have the "hooks" instead of directly changing Android framework). Also, I can run on more devices because I don't have to replace some framework JAR which the vendor tweaked substantially.
> That said, at some level the libraries are fairly similar: the core mechanism by which a method is hooked in Xposed (swapping it out for a JNI implementation) is actually the same one that I described in the talk I gave on Substrate at a conference called Android Open in 2011. The result is that there are some similarities in the functionality offered by the two frameworks.
> Thankfully, Substrate's injection mechanism does not conflict with the one used by Xposed: therefore, if users or developers would like to have both frameworks installed, that is actually possible. There are some places where the two libraries "disagree" (such as Xposed totally removing the Java security model that Substrate preserves), but the resulting behavior is harmless.
Not sure why this is a GOOD idea though...
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As someone with a rooted galaxy nexus on cm10.1, why is this of interest to me?
I understood that cydia was an app store alternative that only could exist on rooted/jailbroken iOS. Android has no such restrictions about app stores; what value does this actually add?
This is based on reading every word of the linked to page...
> WinterBoard is a "theme engine" that allows you to use the numerous themes you may find in the Google Play Store on your device without having to install custom ROMs or use custom launchers. It allows you to use almost any launcher icon theme with your stock launcher and supports "Theme Chooser" themes without CyanogenMod.
Winterboard is for customizing graphics with more flexibility; it's not messing with how apps work.
You could also imagine people developing a collection of Substrate extensions that each implement a specific launcher customization, so that you can build up your desired set of customizations one-by-one instead of trying to choose between several launchers that each have parts of what you want.
There's nothing wrong with hacks. There's nothing wrong with runtime patching. If you know what you're doing, then you know why you shouldn't do it, and thus you're well equipped to do it anyway.
There IS something wrong with bundling up hacks and runtime patches into a simple user-friendly installer that leads users to believe that they will work and are safe. When the hacks fail (and they will), it happens in ways that leave users confused, frustrated, and blaming us -- the developers of the applications that your hacks crash.
Bug reports from people who use Mobile Substrate are a massive waste of time and user goodwill. They pollute our crash reporting system, they make users think our software is broken, and they result in bad reviews in the app store.
You've just made life more ugly for every ISV that supports Android -- and our users -- after doing the same to us on iOS for years.
